Ground compacting device

ABSTRACT

A ground compacting device having a ground leveling plate and a motor for driving the ground leveling plate includes a support portion attached to an upper half of the ground compacting device via an anti-vibration member separately from a handle, and an electrical component for driving the motor is attached to the support portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2019/018906 filed on May 13, 2019, which claims priority to and the benefit of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2019/015211 filed on Apr. 5, 2019, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a ground compacting device for compacting a ground surface by vertical vibration of a ground leveling plate.

Description of the Related Art

Patent literature 1 discloses, as an example of a configuration of a ground compacting device, a rammer including an engine for driving and a handle in which a fuel tank is disposed at an upper end portion of a rammer body. When performing a ground leveling operation, an operator applies a vertical vibration to a ground leveling plate provided at a lower end portion of a rammer body while holding a grip portion of a handle provided at an upper end portion of the rammer body, and thereby levels the ground by the vibration.

In addition, due to a recent increase in environmental regulations, there is an increasing need for electric ground compacting devices in which a motor is used as a drive source instead of an engine, and a fuel tank is replaced with a battery.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-363915

Assuming that the apparatus configuration is electric, it is necessary to suppress the vibration of electrical components such as the battery because the durability of electrical components against the vibration is low. In addition, when a ground leveling operation is performed, it is also necessary to suppress the vibration of the handle in order to reduce the burden on the operator due to the vibration on their hands and arms transmitted to the grip portion of the handle.

In the apparatus configuration of Patent Literature 1, when an electrical component such as a battery is disposed on the handle instead of a fuel tank, it may be necessary to provide a handle with an anti-vibration measure for reducing both the vibration of the electrical component and the vibration of the grip portion.

However, since the positions on the handle and masses of the electrical components and the grip portions are different from each other, the anti-vibration measures for electrical components and anti-vibration measures for the grip portions are required to be different from each other. Therefore, it may be difficult to apply, on the handle, different anti-vibration measures respectively to the electrical components and the grip portions of the handle.

The present invention provides a ground compacting device capable of reducing vibration of an electrical component separately from a handle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A ground compacting device according to one aspect of the present invention is a ground compacting device having a ground leveling plate and a motor for driving the ground leveling plate, the ground compacting device comprising: a support portion which is attached to an upper half of the ground compacting device via an anti-vibration member separately from a handle, wherein an electrical component for driving the motor is attached to the support portion.

By virtue of the present invention, it is possible to provide a ground compacting device capable of reducing vibration of an electrical component separately from a handle.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the attached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of a configuration of a ground compacting device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a structure of a support portion.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a mounting structure of an electrical component.

FIG. 4 is a view from above of the ground compacting device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of a configuration of a ground compacting device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a mounting/demounting structure of a battery.

FIG. 7 is a view showing Variation 1 of the ground compacting device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a view showing Variation 2 of the ground compacting device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a view showing Variation 3 of the ground compacting device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of a configuration of a PDU case used in Variation 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures. The components described in this embodiment are illustrative only and limitation is not made to the following embodiment.

First Embodiment Configuration Example of Ground compacting device: Rammer

FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration of a rammer 40A as an example of a configuration of the ground compacting device according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the right side of the page surface is the front of the apparatus, the left side of the page surface is the rear of the apparatus, and directions intersecting the front-rear directions are upper-lower directions of the apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the rammer 40A includes a motor 10 as a drive source, an upper portion (hereinafter, also referred to as “upper half 41 b”) on the upper side of an anti-vibration member 41 c described later, an expandable/contractable anti-vibration member 41 c, a lower portion (hereinafter, also referred to as “lower half 41 a”) on the lower side of the anti-vibration member 41 c, and a ground leveling plate 42. The ground leveling plate 42 is connected to the lower half 41 a, and the lower half 41 a is connected to the upper half 41 b via the anti-vibration member 41 c.

The upper half 41 b is provided with a handle 45 and a support portion 70 separate from the handle 45. Mounted to the support portion 70 is a mounting plate 54 to which electrical components such as batteries and Power Drive Units (PDUs) can be mounted. A battery 51 for supplying electric power to the motor 10 is mounted on the upper surface of the mounting plate 54 via a holding tray 53. A PDU case 56 on which a PDU 55 for controlling the driving of the motor 10 is disposed is mounted on the lower surface of the mounting plate 54. A mounting structure of these electrical components will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

The motor 10 is attached to the upper half 41 b via a spacer 15, and is driven based on electric power supplied from the battery 51. A vibration mechanism (not shown) accommodated in the upper half 41 b is connected to an output shaft of the motor 10. In a crankcase formed from the upper half 41 b to the lower half 41 a, a rotational drive of the output shaft of the motor 10 is converted into a reciprocating linear motion (vertical motion) by a piston rod (not shown), and the converted vertical motion is transmitted to the ground leveling plate 42. As a result, the ground leveling plate 42 vibrates in the vertical direction. The ground GND can be compacted by the vibration of the ground leveling plate 42.

The anti-vibration member 41 c is provided between the upper half 41 b and the lower half 41 a. When the ground surface GND is hit by the ground leveling plate 42, a reaction moves the rammer 40A up and down, but the vibration of the ground leveling plate 42 and the lower half 41 a side is transmitted to the upper half 41 b side such that it is reduced by to the interposition of the anti-vibration member 41 c.

Structure for Mounting Electrical Components

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a mounting structure of the electrical components (the battery 51, the PDU 55). In FIG. 3, the mounting plate 54 is a plate attached to the support portion 70, and electrical components such as the battery 51 and the PDU can be attached to an upper surface 354A (first surface) and a lower surface 354B (second surface which is the back surface of the first surface) of the mounting plate 54.

A holding tray 53 for mountably/demountably holding the battery 51 is attached to the upper surface 354A of the mounting plate 54 by a fastening member 53 f (for example, a bolt). The battery 51 is mountably/demountably held by the holding tray 53, and is attached to the upper surface 354A of the mounting plate 54 via the holding tray 53. In the battery 51, the motor connection portion 51 a can be connected to a connector cable 55 a which is electrically connected to the motor 10 via a PDU 55. The motor 10 and the PDU 55 are electrically connected via a cable 55 b, and the connector cable 55 a is connected to the motor connection portion 51 a in a state in which the battery 51 is mounted on the holding tray 53, whereby the motor 10 and the battery 51 are electrically connected via the connector cable 55 a, the PDU 55, and the cable 55 b.

An external member 52 (cosmetic member) has an opening 352 in its center. The external member 52 is attached to the upper surface 354A of the mounting plate 54 by a fastening member 52 a (e.g., bolt), and in a state in which it is mounted on the mounting plate 54, the external member 52 covers the outer periphery of the holding tray 53 and the lower portion of the battery 51.

The PDU 55 is disposed in a protective PDU case 56, and the PDU case 56 with the PDU 55 disposed thereon is attached to the lower surface 354B of the mounting plate 54 by a fastening member 56 a.

In a structure in which an electrical component (the battery 51 included in the electrical component) is attached to the upper surface 354A of the mounting plate 54 and another electrical component (another electrical component (for example, the PDU 55) included in the electrical component) is attached to the lower surface 354B, the space of the lower surface side of the mounting plate 54 can be more effectively utilized as compared with a structure in which the electrical components are stacked on the surface on one side (for example, the upper surface side), and therefore the device configuration can be made smaller. Since the battery 51 needs to be charged by a charger outside the device at a predetermined time, the frequency of mounting/demounting of the battery 51 is higher than that of the PDU 55. By mountably/demountably attaching the battery 51 which has a high mounting/demounting frequency to the upper surface 354A side of the mounting plate 54 via the holding tray 53 which has a mounting/demounting mechanism, it is possible to improve work efficiency by an operator. Further, when a remaining battery power display unit is provided on the upper surface of the battery, a worker can easily visually recognize the remaining capacity during operation, and therefore can easily know when to charge the battery.

Mounting/Demounting Structure for Battery 51

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a mounting/demounting structure of the battery 51. In FIG. 6, the right side of the page surface corresponds to the left side of the apparatus, and the left side of the page surface corresponds to the right side of the apparatus. ST61 is a view showing a state in which the battery 51 is placed on the holding tray 53. The operator can carry the battery 51 by gripping a battery gripping portion 156 provided on the upper portion of the battery 51, and can place the battery 51 on the holding tray 53 following the arrow 50A. An engagement convex portion 53 c is formed at a right end portion of the holding tray 53, and the engagement convex portion 53 c engages with an engagement concave portion 51 e formed at the right end portion of the battery 51, thereby defining a holding position for the battery 51 on the holding tray 53.

ST62 is a view showing a state in which the battery 51 has been placed on the holding tray 53. When the battery 51 is placed on the holding tray 53 in a state in which the holding position is determined by the engagement between the engagement convex portion 53 c and the engagement concave portion 51 e, seats 51 a and 51 b provided on the lower surface of the battery 51 come into contact with elastic bodies (for example, rubbers 53 a and 53 b) provided on the holding tray 53, respectively.

In the configuration of the ground compacting device, a holding wire 57 for holding the battery 51 placed on the holding tray 53 is provided at the right end portion (left side in the page surface) of the holding tray 53, and the left end portion (right side in the page surface) of the holding wire 57 is rotatably supported by a wire support portion 53 d. A holding lever 58 is provided at a right end portion (the left side of the page surface) of the holding wire 57. The holding lever 58 is rotatable about a rotation fulcrum 58 a, and when the holding lever 58 is rotated about the rotation fulcrum 58 a as indicated by an arrow 50B, the holding convex portion 58 b formed at the distal end portion of the holding lever 58 engages with a holding concave portion 51 d formed at the upper portion of the battery 51 to be held.

ST63 is a view showing a state in which the battery 51 has been held on the holding tray 53. The battery 51 is held on the holding tray 53 by the engagement of the engagement convex portion 53 c and the engagement concave portion 51 e on the right side (the left side of the apparatus) of the page surface, and is held on the holding tray 53 by the engagement of a holding convex portion 58 b and a holding concave portion 51 d on the left side (the right side of the apparatus) of the page surface.

The flow up to placing and holding the battery 51 on the holding tray 53 has been described above. When the holding tray 53 detaches the battery 51, the battery 51 can be detached from the holding tray 53 by performing procedures opposite to the flow of ST63 from the ST61.

Configuration of the Support Portion 70

FIG. 2 is a view showing a configuration of the support portion. Electrical components (the battery 51 and the PDU 55 which is disposed in the PDU case 56) are attached to the support portion 70 via the mounting plate 54. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the support portion 70 is formed as a substantially U-shaped frame body by the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b and a center frame 70 c, and the mounting plate 54 is mounted between the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b by the fastening member 54 a (for example, a bolt). Connecting portions 71 a and 71 b for connecting the support portion 70 to an anti-vibration member 73 are provided at the end portions of the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b. The connection portion 71 b is formed with a through hole 71 c that a rotating support member 77 a (e.g., a bolt) passes through.

In FIG. 2, ST21 shows a cross-sectional view of the anti-vibration member 73 along a rotational axis 80. The anti-vibration member 73 has an anti-vibration member main body 73 a having a hollow cylindrical shape, an elastic member 72 inserted into the anti-vibration member main body 73 a, and a collar 76 inserted into an opening 72 a formed in a central portion of the elastic member 72. An inner diameter 76 a of the collar 76 is formed so as to be able to pass through the rotating support member 77 a.

The rotating support member 77 a that has passed through the through hole 71 c and the collar 76 of the anti-vibration member 73 engages with the rotating engagement member 77 b (for example, a nut) so that the anti-vibration member 73 is attached to the connection portion 71 b of the right frame 70 b.

In the configuration of FIG. 2, a configuration example is shown in which the anti-vibration member 73 is attached to the connection portion 71 b of the right frame 70 b, but the same is true for a left frame 70 a, and the anti-vibration member 73 is attached to the connection portion 71 a of the left frame 70 a by engaging the rotating engagement member 77 b with the rotating support member 77 a passing through the through hole 71 c formed in the connection portion 71 a of the left frame 70 a and the collar 76 of the anti-vibration member 73.

An upper anti-vibration mounting member 74 has a semi-cylindrical arc portion 74 a and flange portion 74 b formed at both ends of the arc portion 74 a. A through hole 78 c is formed in the flange portion 74 b such that a fastening member 78 a (e.g., a bolt) can pass through.

A lower anti-vibration mounting member 75 has a semi-cylindrical arc portion 75 a, a first flange portion 75 b formed at both ends of the arc portion 75 a, a step portion 75 d formed in the vertical direction from the end of the first flange portion 75 b, and a second flange portion 75 c formed at the end of the step portion 75 d. The first flange portion 75 b is formed with an engagement portion 78 b (e.g., a screw hole) that engages with the fastening member 78 a. A through hole 79 b is formed in the second flange portion 75 c such that a fastening member 79 a (e.g., a bolt) can pass through.

The upper anti-vibration mounting member 74 and the lower anti-vibration mounting member 75 are mounted on the support portion 70 by engaging the fastening member 78 a with the engagement portion 78 b in a state in which the anti-vibration member 73 is sandwiched therebetween vertically. In engaged state of the fastening member 78 a, the arc portion 74 a and the arc portion 75 a sandwich the outer circumference of the anti-vibration member main body 73 a vertically, rotatably hold the support portion 70, and hold the position of the support portion 70 in the rotated state.

By engaging the fastening member 79 a with an engagement portion (e.g., a screw hole) of a component on the upper half 41 b side in a state in which the second flange portion 75 c is in contact with the component on the upper half 41 b side, the support portion 70 can be attached to the upper half 41 b via the anti-vibration member 73. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the second flange portion 75 c is brought into contact with a handle holding member 44, which holds the handle 45, and fastened by the fastening member 79 a, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the frame may be extended upward from the spacer 15, and the support portion 70 may be provided on the frame via the anti-vibration member 73. The shape of the second flange portion 75 c is not limited to a planar shape, and can be formed according to a shape of a component (the handle holding member 44) on the side of the upper half 41 b that comes into contact with it. For example, if the handle holding member 44 is a component having a cylindrical outer shape, the second flange portion 75 c may be formed as an arc shape having a curvature matched with the cylindrical outer shape. If the handle holding member 44 is a component having a planar outer shape, the second flange portion 75 c may be formed to be flat.

Mounting Structure of Handle 45 and Support Portion 70

The handle 45 is rotatably attached to the upper half 41 b by the handle holding member 44 having the same structure as the anti-vibration member 73, and is configured to be rotatable in the vertical direction about a rotational axis 90 of the handle holding member 44 as a rotation center (FIG. 1). The support portion 70 is attached to the handle holding member 44 by engagement between the fastening member 79 a passing through the through hole 79 b of the second flange portion 75 c (FIG. 2) and the handle holding member 44, and is configured to be rotatable in the vertical direction where the rotational axis 80 of the anti-vibration member 73 is the center of rotation.

Vibration transmitted from the ground leveling plate 42 acts on the anti-vibration member 73 as an exciting force F at the center of the anti-vibration member 73, i.e., the rotational axis 80. The support portion 70 has a cantilever structure supported by the anti-vibration member 73, and the support portion 70 of the cantilever structure is excited by the exciting force F.

In FIG. 1, the center of gravity G indicates the overall center of gravity of the support portion 70 and the electrical components (battery 51, PDU 55), the external member 52, the holding tray 53, the mounting plate 54, and the PDU case 56 (hereinafter, these overall configurations are also referred to as “support units”). La represents the distance (length) from the center (the rotational axis 80) of the anti-vibration member 73 to the center of gravity G of the support unit. Further, in FIG. 1, a point C indicates a position at which the electrical components (the battery 51 and the PDU 55) are attached to the mounting plate 54 (the center position of the electrical components in the front-rear directions), and Lb indicates a distance (length) from the center of gravity G to the position C.

Assuming that the moment of inertia around the center of gravity G of the support unit is IG and the mass of the support unit is M, the position C which is not affected by vibration in the vertical direction by the exciting force F can be obtained as Lb=IG/(M·La), according to impact center theory. By attaching the electrical components at the position C defined by Lb, the influence of vibration in the vertical direction (translation direction) can be reduced.

In addition, by setting the elastic modulus (spring constant) of the elastic member 72 of the anti-vibration member 73 to be sufficiently smaller than the vibration frequency of the rammer 40A, the influence of resonance can be reduced.

An elastic member is also provided inside the handle holding member 44 as in the anti-vibration member 73 (ST21 of FIG. 2). As the elastic members of the anti-vibration member 73 of the support portion 70 and the handle holding member 44 of the handle 45, it is possible to use members having a different elastic modulus in accordance with the vibration characteristics of the support portion 70 and the vibration characteristics of the handle 45. The anti-vibration member 73 of the support portion 70 is provided separately from the anti-vibration member of the handle 45 (the handle holding member 44 including the anti-vibration member), and interposed between the upper half 41 b and the support portion 70. This makes it possible to individually suppress the vibration of the handle 45 and the electrical components attached to the support portion 70. According to the apparatus configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce vibration of the electrical components separately from the handle.

In the device configuration shown in FIG. 1, in a side view, the support portion 70 is provided lower than the handle 45, and the handle 45 is configured to cover at least a part of the electrical components (e.g., the battery 51 and the PDU 55 disposed in the PDU case 56) attached to the support portion 70. As a result, while the apparatus configuration can be made smaller, the electrical components can be protected by the handle 45 when the apparatus falls over or the like in a state where the rammer 40A is not in use. A reinforcing member 63 is attached between the right handle frame 48 and the left handle frame 49 constituting the handle 45, and the reinforcing member 63 protects the battery 51. The reinforcing member 64 connects the handle 45 to a movable plate 43 of the upper half 41 b, and covers at least a part of the electrical components (e.g., the battery 51 and the PDU 55 disposed in the PDU case 56) attached to the support portion 70 and at least a part of the motor 10. As a result, the electrical components and the motor 10 can be protected by the reinforcing member 64 when the apparatus falls over or the like.

FIG. 4 is a view of the rammer 40A as seen from above. The handle 45 has a front frame 47, a rear frame 46, the right handle frame 48, and the left handle frame 49, and is formed as a substantially rectangular frame body. The support portion 70 is formed as a substantially U-shaped frame body by the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b and the center frame 70 c, and the support portion 70 is disposed inside the frame body of the handle 45. When a worker engages in a ground leveling operation, the worker must hold the front frame 47 (handle portion) on the handle 45 of the rammer 40A, and perform an operation of rotating the handle 45 upwardly and downwardly, and pushing downwards; however, by providing the support portion 70 inside the frame body of the handle 45, the device configuration can be made compact and interference with the support portion 70 when the handle 45 is rotated can be prevented. In addition, since the handle holding member 44 is provided separately from the anti-vibration member 73 and the electrical components are provided in the support portion 70 (the electrical components are not provided in the handle 45), the electrical components do not rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the handle, and so it is possible to suppress interference of the electrical components with other components (motors and the like) of the apparatus.

Variations of the First Embodiment Coaxial Structure of Anti-Vibration Members

In the example shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, as the structure of the anti-vibration member, a structure in which the anti-vibration member 73 of the support portion 70 and the handle holding member 44 of the handle 45 are separately arranged has been described, but it is also possible to arranged the anti-vibration member 73 and the handle holding member 44 coaxially to configure an integrated anti-vibration member. In this case, the anti-vibration member 73 may be disposed in the handle holding member 44 by arranging the rotational axis 80 of the anti-vibration member 73 in the support portion 70 coaxially with the rotational axis 90 of the handle holding member 44. As a result, it is possible to prevent interference with the support portion 70 during rotation of the handle 45 while reducing the size and weight of the device configuration.

Height of the Support Portion 70 with Respect to the Handle 45

In the example of FIG. 1, the support portion 70 is disposed lower than the handle 45 as the apparatus configuration, but in addition to this example, it is also possible to adopt an apparatus configuration in which the support portion 70 is disposed higher than the handle 45 as the apparatus configuration. In this case, the vertical height of the step portion 75 d of the lower anti-vibration mounting member 75 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be formed to be a length such that the support portion 70 is disposed higher than the handle 45, or the upper end portion (the upper half 41 b) of the device may be formed so as to project higher than the handle 45, and the support portion 70 may be provided through the anti-vibration member 73 in the protruding portion.

Weight-Adjusting Portion of the Support Portion 70

As a configuration of the support portion 70, a weight-adjusting portion may be provided on the support portion 70 on a side opposite to a position where the electrical components (the battery 51 and the PDU 55) are mounted via the anti-vibration member 73 of the support portion 70. For example, as shown by a dashed-dotted line in FIG. 4, it is also possible to form extension frames 70 d and 70 e in which the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b constituting the support portion 70 are extended to the rear side of the apparatus, and to provide counterweights W in the extension frames 70 d and 70 e as weight-adjusting portions.

The counterweights W can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the weight, and the moment about the center of gravity G of the electrical components (clockwise direction) can be reduced by the moment about the center of gravity G of the weight-adjusting portion (the counterweights W) (counterclockwise direction). By reducing the moment about the center of gravity G of the electrical components, the position C at which the electrical components are attached can be moved towards the center of gravity G, and the protrusion length L1 (FIG. 1) of the support portion 70 which protrudes forward from the electrical component can be shortened. By shortening the protrusion length L1 of the support portion 70, the clearance L2 between the center frame 70 c of the support portion 70 and the front frame 47 of the handle 45 can be enlarged. As a result, it is possible to prevent interference with the support portion 70 during rotation of the handle 45 while making the device configuration more compact.

Configuration in which the Support Portion 70 is Formed by a Plate

In FIG. 2, a configuration example of a plurality of frames (the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b and the center frame 70 c) is shown as the support portion 70, but the support portion 70 may be configured by a plate-shaped member (a plate) in addition to this example. In this case, an opening for avoiding interference with the PDU case 56 attached to the lower surface 354B of the mounting plate 54 may be formed in the plate-shaped member.

Variation 1 of the Mounting Plate 54 (FIG. 7)

FIG. 7 is a view showing Variation 1 of the mounting plate 54, and is a view of the rammer 40A (FIG. 1) as seen from above. The mounting structure of the electrical components (the battery 51 and the PDU 55) to the mounting plate 54 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the structure for connecting the end portions of the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b of the support portion 70 to the anti-vibration member 73 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2. The structure of the weight-adjusting portion (counterweight W) of the support portion 70 is similar to that shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 7, the mounting plate 54 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and is mounted by the fastening member 54 a (for example, a bolt) so as to cover the upper surface of the support portion 70. Here, the support portion 70 is formed as a substantially U-shaped frame body by the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b and the center frame 70 c, and the portion of the structure of the support portion 70 shown by broken lines is provided on the lower surface of the mounting plate 54.

In a state in which the mounting plate 54 is mounted on the support portion 70, a left end portion 254 a of the mounting plate 54 protrudes from the left frame 70 a of the support portion 70 to the outside of the frame body (an overhang length Ls). Similarly, a right end portion 254 b of the mounting plate 54 protrudes from the right frame 70 b of the support portion 70 to the outside of the frame body (the overhang length Ls). Also, a front end portion 254 c of the mounting plate 54 protrudes from the center frame 70 c to the outside of the frame body (the overhang length Ls). It is also possible to form the overhang length Lf of the front end portion 254 c similarly to the overhang length Ls of the left end portion 254 a and the right end portion 254 b (Lf=Ls). It is also possible to shorten the overhang length Lf of the front end portion 254 c as compared to the overhang length Ls of the left end portion 254 a and the right end portion 254 b so that the worker can easily grasp the front frame 47 of the handle 45 (Lf<Ls).

By virtue of the configuration of Variation 1 of the mounting plate 54 shown in FIG. 7, since the region in which the mounting plate 54 abuts the support portion 70 (the region of the support portion 70 shown by the broken line in FIG. 7) can be increased, the number of the fastening member 54 a corresponding to the left frame 70 a, the right frame 70 b, and the center frame 70 c of the support portion 70 can be increased.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the mounting plate 54 is attached to the left frame 70 a by the fastening member 54 a at two locations, and is attached to the right frame 70 b by the fastening member 54 a at two locations. In contrast, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the mounting plate 54 is attached to the left frame 70 a by the fastening member 54 a at three locations, and is attached to the right frame 70 b by the fastening member 54 a at three locations, and furthermore is attached to the center frame 70 c by the fastening member 54 a at two locations. As a result, the mounting plate 54 can be disposed stably on the upper surface of the support portion 70, and the outer edge of the mounting plate 54 can be more firmly attached to the support portion 70.

Variation 2 of the Mounting Plate 54 (FIG. 8)

FIG. 8 is a view showing Variation 2 of the mounting plate 54, and is a view of the rammer 40A (FIG. 1) as seen from above. As shown in FIG. 8, the mounting plate 54 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and similarly to Variation 1 in FIG. 7, its structure is mounted by the fastening member 54 a (for example, a bolt) so as to cover the upper surface of the support portion 70. In the structure of the support portion 70, a portion indicated by broken lines is provided on the lower surface of the mounting plate 54. The structure of the weight-adjusting portion (counterweight W) of the support portion 70 is similar to that shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7. However, in Variation 2, since the device width WD2 is narrower than the device width WD1 of Variation 1 (WD2<WD1), the length LP2 of the mounting plate 54 in the left/right direction in FIG. 8 is configured to be shorter than the length LP1 of the mounting plate 54 the left/right direction in FIG. 7 (LP2<LP1).

The structure that connects the ends of the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b of the support portion 70 to the anti-vibration member 73 is the same as in FIG. 2, but the orientation for mounting the electrical components (the battery 51) to the mounting plate 54 is different from that in FIGS. 4 and 7 in Variation 2 of FIG. 8. For example, in FIG. 7, the longitudinal direction of the battery 51 is disposed along the left/right direction of the rammer 40A, but in Variation 2 of FIG. 8, the longitudinal direction of the battery 51 is disposed along the front-rear direction of the rammer 40A.

By virtue of the configuration of Variation 2 of the mounting plate 54 shown in FIG. 8, similarly to in Variation 1, as a result, the mounting plate 54 can be disposed stably on the upper surface of the support portion 70, and the outer edge of the mounting plate 54 can be more firmly attached to the support portion 70. Further, by virtue of the configuration of Variation 2, the device width (WD2) of the rammer 40A of Variation 2 can be reduced (WD2<WD1) as compared with the device width (WD1) of the rammer 40A of Variation 1, and a more compact rammer 40A can be provided.

Variation 3 of the Mounting Plate 54 (FIG. 9)

FIG. 9 is a view showing Variation 3 of the mounting plate 54, and is a view of the rammer 40A (FIG. 1) as seen from above. As shown in FIG. 9, the mounting plate 54 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and is mounted by the fastening member 54 a (for example, a bolt) so as to cover the upper surface of the support portion 70. In the structure of the support portion 70, a portion indicated by broken lines is provided on the lower surface of the mounting plate 54. In Variation 3 of FIG. 9, the structure of the support portion 70 is different from the structure of Variations 1 and 2 of the first embodiment of FIG. 4, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

In FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the support portion 70 is formed as a substantially U-shaped frame body by the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b, and the center frame 70 c, but in Variation 3 of FIG. 9, there is a difference in that the support portion 70 is formed in a substantially T-like shape by a front/rear direction frame 170 a and a left/right direction frame 170 b. In Variation 3 of FIG. 9, a member width WD4 of the front/rear direction frame 170 a and the left/right direction frame 170 b is formed wider than a member width WD3 of the frames (the left frame 70 a, the right frame 70 b, and the center frame 70 c) shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, for example, so that the stiffness of the support portion 70 is not lowered as compared with Variations 1 and 2 of the first embodiment of FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 (WD4>WD3).

In Variation 3 of FIG. 9, an example is shown in which the member width WD4 is formed wider than the member width WD3, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the member thicknesses of the front/rear direction frame 170 a and the left/right direction frame 170 b may be formed thicker than the member thicknesses of the frames (the left frame 70 a, the right frame 70 b, and the center frame 70 c) shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, for example, in the direction perpendicular to the page surface. By forming at least one of the member width and the member thickness such that a cross-sectional characteristic (moment of inertia of area) of the support portion 70 is a predetermined value, a stiffness equivalent to that of the support portion 70 shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 can be realized.

In the first embodiment of FIG. 4, and in Variations 1 and 2 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the structure is such that the ends of the left and right frames 70 a and 70 b of the support portion 70 are connected to the left and right anti-vibration members 73, respectively (FIG. 2), but in Variation 3 of FIG. 9, the structure is such that the end of the front/rear direction frame 170 a is connected to a single anti-vibration member 73. By virtue of the configuration of Variation 3 of the mounting plate 54 shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to reduce the number of components (for example, the elastic member 72, the upper anti-vibration mounting member 74, the lower anti-vibration mounting member 75, the collar 76, and the like shown in FIG. 2) for connection to the anti-vibration member 73, and it is possible to simplify the structure of the anti-vibration member 73.

In the first embodiment of FIG. 4, the Variations 1 and 2 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the right and left counterweights W are used as the weight-adjusting portions. In Variation 3 of FIG. 9, by providing two counterweights 2W as one counterweight, the same weight adjustment effect as that of the first embodiment of FIG. 4 and the Variations 1 and 2 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 can be realized.

Also, in FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the structure is such that the PDU case 56 is mounted to the lower surface 354B (FIG. 3) of the mounting plate 54, but in the Variation 3 of FIG. 9, the PDU case 56 can be attached to the lower surface 354B (FIG. 3) of the mounting plate 54 by forming the notches 56 b and 56 c (FIG. 10) in the PDU case 56 that can intersect with the front/rear direction frame 170 a while avoiding interference with the front/rear direction frame 170 a. As a result, the space on the lower surface side of the mounting plate 54 can be effectively utilized in Variation 3 as in Variations 1 and 2 of the first embodiment of FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, and so the device configuration can be reduced in size.

In Variation 3 of FIG. 9, an example is shown in which the longitudinal direction of the battery 51 is disposed in the left/right direction of the rammer 40A as in the first embodiment of FIG. 4 and Variation 1 of FIG. 7. The arrangement direction of the battery 51 is not limited to this example, and for example, as in Variation 2 of FIG. 8, the rammer 40A may be configured such that the longitudinal direction of the battery 51 is disposed in the front-rear direction of the rammer 40A. This makes it possible to reduce the device width of the rammer 40A of Variation 3 as in Variation 2, and to provide a more compact rammer 40A.

Second Embodiment Configuration Example of Ground Compacting Device: Plate Compactor

In the first embodiment, an example of a configuration of the rammer 40A has been described as an example of the configuration of a ground compacting device, but other than this example, for example, the mounting structures of the support portion 70 and the electrical components (the battery 51 and the PDU 55) can be applied to a plate compactor. FIG. 5 is a view showing a configuration of a plate compactor 40B as an example of a configuration of the ground compacting device according to the second embodiment.

The plate compactor 40B includes a motor 150 functioning as a drive source, upper halves 144 and 154 upward of an anti-vibration member 146, the anti-vibration member 146, a lower half 145 downward of the anti-vibration member 146, an excitation mechanism 158, and a ground leveling plate 142. A handle 147 is configured as a substantially rectangular frame body like the handle 45 described in the first embodiment. The handle 147 is attached to the upper half 144. The ground leveling plate 142 is connected to the lower half 145, and the lower half 145 and the ground leveling plate 142 vibrate by vibration of the excitation mechanism 158.

In FIG. 5, the motor 150 is provided in an upper half 154 via a spacer 151, and a drive pulley 152 is attached to an output shaft 150 a of the motor 150. A driven pulley 153 is attached to a rotational axis 153 a of the excitation mechanism 158, and a power transmission mechanism 155 (drive belt) is provided between the drive pulley 152 and the driven pulley 153. The rotational driving force of the motor 150 is transmitted to the excitation mechanism 158 via the drive pulley 152, the power transmission mechanism 155, and the driven pulley 153, and the lower half 145 and the ground leveling plate 142 vibrate by vibration of the excitation mechanism 158 based on the transmitted rotational driving force.

The reaction to the vibration of the ground leveling plate 142 causes a plate compactor 40B to move up and down, but the vibration of the ground leveling plate 142 and the lower half 145 side, after being reduced by the interposition of the anti-vibration member 146, is transmitted to the upper halves 144 and 154 and the side of the handle 147 attached to the upper half 144. The anti-vibration member 146 functions as an anti-vibration member for the upper halves 144 and 154 and the handle 147 attached to the upper half 144, and has a configuration separate from the anti-vibration member 73 of the support portion 70, which will be described later.

In the plate compactor 40B, the support portion 70 is attached to the upper half 154 via the anti-vibration member 73 separately from the anti-vibration member 146 of the handle 147, and electrical components for driving the motor 150 are attached to the support portion 70. Here, the structures of the upper anti-vibration mounting member 74, the lower anti-vibration mounting member 75, and the elastic member 72 for mounting the anti-vibration member 73 to the upper half 154 are similar to those of the first embodiment. In addition, as a structure for a weight-adjusting portion, a structure in which an extension frame 70 e in which the support portion 70 is extended to the rear side of the apparatus is formed, and as the weight-adjusting portion, the counterweight W is provided in the extension frame 70 e, is also similar to in the first embodiment.

The structure for attaching the electrical components to the support portion 70 is also the similar to the structure described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. In a structure in which an electrical component (the battery 51 included in the electrical component) is attached to the upper surface 354A of the mounting plate 54 and another electrical component (another electrical component (for example, the PDU 55) included in the electrical component) is attached to the lower surface 354B, the space of the lower surface side of the mounting plate 54 can be more effectively utilized as compared with a structure in which the electrical components are stacked on the surface on one side, and therefore the device configuration can be made smaller.

By mountably/demountably attaching the battery 51 which has a high mounting/demounting frequency to the upper surface 354A side of the mounting plate 54 via the holding tray 53 which has a mounting/demounting mechanism, it is possible to improve work efficiency by an operator. Further, when a remaining battery power display unit is provided on the upper surface of the battery, a worker can easily visually recognize the remaining capacity during operation, and therefore can easily know when to charge the battery.

The relative positional relationship between the handle 45 and the support portion 70 described in the first embodiment can be applied to the handle 147 and the support portion 70 of the second embodiment. By virtue of the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a plate compactor capable of reducing vibration of an electrical component separately from a handle. Variations 1 to 3 of the mounting plate 54 described with reference to FIG. 7 to FIG. 10 can also be applied to the mounting plate 54 (FIG. 5) of the second embodiment.

Summary of Embodiments

Configuration 1. A ground compacting device of above-described embodiments is a ground compacting device (e.g., 40A in FIG. 1 and 40B in FIG. 5) having a ground leveling plate (e.g., 42 in FIG. 1 and 142 in FIG. 5) and a motor (e.g., 10 in FIG. 1 and 150 in FIG. 5) for driving the ground leveling plate (42, 142),

the ground compacting device comprising a support portion (e.g., 70 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5) which is attached to an upper half of the ground compacting device (e.g., 41 b in FIG. 1 and 144 and 154 in FIG. 5) via an anti-vibration member (e.g., 73 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5) separately from a handle (e.g., 45 in FIG. 1 and 147 in FIG. 5),

wherein an electrical component (e.g., 51 and the PDU 55 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5) for driving the motor (10 and 150) is attached to the support portion (70).

By virtue of the ground compacting device of Configuration 1, it is possible to provide a ground compacting device capable of reducing vibration of an electrical component separately from a handle.

Configuration 2. In a ground compacting device of the above embodiments, wherein the anti-vibration member (73) is provided between the upper half (41 b, 144, and 154) and the support portion (70) separately from an anti-vibration member (e.g., 44 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5) of a handle (45 and 147).

According to the ground compacting device of Configuration 2, since the anti-vibration member of the support portion and the anti-vibration member of the handle are separate from each other, vibration can be easily suppressed individually. Further, since the electrical components do not rotate in conjunction with the handle being rotated, it is possible to suppress interference with other members (such as the motor).

Configuration 3. In a ground compacting device of the above embodiments, wherein the support portion (70) has a rotational axis (e.g., 80 of FIG. 1) that is coaxial to the handle.

By virtue of the ground compacting device of Configuration 3, it is possible to prevent interference with the support portion during rotation of the handle while reducing the size and weight of the device configuration.

Configuration 4. In a ground compacting device of the above embodiments, wherein the handle (45) is configured as a frame body in an upper surface view of the ground compacting device, and the support portion (70) being disposed inside the frame body of the handle.

By virtue of the ground compacting device of Configuration 4, it is possible to prevent interference with the support portion during rotation of the handle while making the device configuration compact.

Configuration 5. In a ground compacting device of the above embodiments, a weight-adjusting portion (for example, W in FIG. 1, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5) is further provided on a side opposite to a position where an electrical component is attached, via the anti-vibration member (73) of a support portion (70).

By virtue of the ground compacting device of Configuration 5, it is possible to shorten a length of protrusion of the support portion which protrudes forward from the electrical component. By shortening the protrusion length of the support portion, the clearance between the support portion and the handle can be increased. As a result, it is possible to prevent interference with the support portion during rotation of the handle 45 while making the device configuration more compact.

Configuration 6. In a ground compacting device of the above embodiments, wherein the support portion (70) is provided lower than a handle (45) in a side view of the ground compacting device, and the handle (45) covers at least a part of the electrical component (e.g., 51).

By virtue of the ground compacting device of Configuration 6, it is possible to make the device configuration smaller while protecting the electrical components with the handle when the device falls over or the like in the non-use state.

Configuration 7. In the ground compacting device of the above embodiments, wherein the support portion (70) has at least a plate (e.g., 54), and

a battery (e.g., 51 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5) included in the electrical component is attached to an upper surface (e.g., 354A in FIG. 2) of the plate, and

another electrical component (e.g., the PDU 55 of FIG. 3 and FIG. 5) included in the electrical component is attached to the lower surface (e.g., 354B of FIG. 3) of the plate, which is the back surface of the upper surface (354A).

By virtue of the ground compacting device of Configuration 7, the space on the lower surface side of the plate can be more effectively utilized compared with a structure in which electrical components (the battery 51 and the PDU 55) are stacked on one surface side (for example, the upper surface side), and therefore the configuration of the device can be reduced in size.

Also, since the battery needs to be charged by a charger outside the device at a predetermined time, the frequency of mounting/demounting of the battery is higher than that of the other electrical component (the PDU 55). By mountably/demountably attaching the battery which has a high mounting/demounting frequency to the upper surface side of the attachment plate via the holding tray, it is possible to improve work efficiency of the operator. Further, when a remaining battery power display unit is provided on the upper surface of the battery, a worker can easily visually recognize the remaining capacity during operation, and therefore can easily know when to charge the battery.

Configuration 8. In a ground compacting device of the above embodiments, the ground compacting device further comprises a reinforcing member (e.g., 64 in FIG. 1) connecting the handle (45) and the upper half (41 b),

herein the reinforcing member (64) covers at least a part of the electrical component attached to the support portion (70).

By virtue of the ground compacting device of Configuration 8, the electrical component can be protected by the reinforcing member when the ground compacting device falls over, or the like.

Configuration 9. In the ground compacting device of the above embodiments, wherein the reinforcing member (64) covers at least a part of the motor (10).

By virtue of the ground compacting device of the Configuration 9, the motor can be protected by the reinforcing member when the device falls over or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, to apprise the public of the scope of the invention, the following claims are appended. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A ground compacting device having a ground leveling plate and a motor for driving the ground leveling plate, the ground compacting device comprising: a support portion which is attached to an upper half of the ground compacting device via an anti-vibration member separately from a handle, wherein an electrical component for driving the motor is attached to the support portion.
 2. The ground compacting device according to claim 1, wherein the anti-vibration member is provided between the upper half and the support portion separately from an anti-vibration member of the handle.
 3. The ground compacting device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion has a rotational axis that is coaxial to the handle.
 4. The ground compacting device according to claim 1, wherein the handle is configured as a frame body in an upper surface view of the ground compacting device, and the support portion is disposed inside the frame body of the handle.
 5. The ground compacting device according to claim 1, further comprising a weight-adjusting portion on a side opposite to a position where the electrical component is attached, via the anti-vibration member of the support portion.
 6. The ground compacting device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is provided lower than the handle in a side view of the ground compacting device, and the handle covers at least a part of the electrical component.
 7. The ground compacting device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion has at least a plate, and a battery included in the electrical component is attached to an upper surface of the plate, and another electrical component included in the electrical component is attached to the lower surface of the plate, which is a back surface of the upper surface.
 8. The ground compacting device according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing member connecting the handle and the upper half, wherein the reinforcing member covers at least a part of the electrical component attached to the support portion.
 9. The ground compacting device according to claim 8, wherein the reinforcing member covers at least a part of the motor. 